News

"We would like you to consider Slovenia’s sea - in commercial sense - your own"

05.12.2013

This year we again met with our business partners at Luka Koper Days in Vienna (3rd December) and Budapest (4th December). It is a traditional meeting with partners in Luka Koper's key hinterland markets that allows us to draw the line under the current year. Both events were very well-attended, in particular the Vienna one. As many as 250 people, including a number of Slovenian logistics providers attended the 30th anniversary of Luka Koper office in Vienna. At both events, the Management Board President Gašpar Gašpar Mišič expressed a wish to further upgrade mutual collaboration and pointed out that Luka Koper will continue to strive to become the leading port system and global logistics solutions provider for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. "The location of the Port of Koper at the head of the Adriatic Sea is our key competitive advantage; and - as our hinterland partners - we would like you to consider that Slovenia’s sea is - in commercial sense - your own," stressed Mr Gašpar Mišič. For decades Austria has been Luka Koper's most important transit market, and over the recent years we have achieved a prime position at Austrian market which accounts for nearly one third of Luka Koper's cargo throughput; most of our northern neighbour's overseas trade goes via Koper. In 2013, total cargo throughput for Austria increased by five percent whilst container freight rose by 27 percent. In the future, the transport links between the countries will be even better. Indeed, the new regulation of TEN-T transport network officially places Luka Koper on the Baltic-Adriatic corridor which crosses Austria. Hungary is Luka Koper's second most important hinterland market and a major portion of the country's container freight is handled by the Port of Koper. Over the recent years, the cargo throughput has amounted to about 1.5 million tonnes per year. In addition, Hungary provides Luka Koper an ideal base for the further penetration of other markets such as Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine where key role will be played by Luka Koper's inclusion in the Mediterranean corridor. In Budapest, Gašpar Gašpar Mišič and Milan Jelenc, the Member of Management Board of the national railway operator Slovenske Železnice, met with the Minister for National Economy. Their discussion was focused on how the Hungarian commerce could direct more of its overseas trade via the Port of Koper and how to modernise the infrastructure connections between the countries, in particular railway which would additionally strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. In May, a similar event was organised in the capital of Slovakia. Slovakia has also been Luka Koper’s relevant hinterland market for a number of years. A substantial portion of Slovak cargo throughput originates from Korea which encouraged many Korean companies to transport their cargo via Koper.

Good relations with business partners are for all those who co-create the story of success of the only Slovenian port of crucial importance. In the future we will continue to build collaboration on partnership relations among all the participants in the logistic chain because we firmly believe that working together will make us even better.